Sunday, July 24, 2011

review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 (movie)

So. Here I am, returning after 6 months (give or take). and straight to the review!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt. 2!!!! The final installment of the Harry Potter universe is complete! *dies slightly inside* Now what will I agonize over??? Just kidding folks. (kinda)

The following review is going to be very difficult for me to accurately describe this movie... Not only have I only seen it once, which was a week a ago, but also because this movie stirred the emotions in me so much so that my memory of the actual movie plot is blurred. Don't get me wrong - i remember the plot perfectly... i'm just not quite sure if I remember the music or lighting or acting because this movie was so anticipated and lived in. I bounced from the highest peaks of euphoria to deepest depths of despair in spans of seconds. Sometimes I couldn't tell if I was crying because I was happy or sad.

I also don't expect many to have had or have the same reaction as myself... I grew up with these books. They defined so much of what I believed in and how I look at the world. My childhood was magical because of these books and the movies have only served to heighten the joy and bring another way of experiencing the story to life. So read on if you dare, brave soul - just be warned.

***SPOILER ALERT!!! don't read on if you don't want to know.... although if you don't know what happens you seriously must have been living with your head under a rock for upwards of 10 years.... congrats?***

The movie opens with a small recap of pt. 1, namely Voldy-pants finding the Elder wand or "death stick" - the undefeated wand - that will give him an edge over Harry Potter. Harry and the gang are at a safe house with the newly weds Bill and Fleur after having buried Dobby and rescued Griphook the goblin, Mr. Ollivander, and Luna Lovegood. The trio learn that Voldemort has the Elder wand, formerly Dumbledore's wand, and they formulate a plan with Griphook to break into Gringotts, the wizard bank to steal the Horcrux that they believe Bellatrix has in her vault. Wth this one attained, the trio only has two horcruxes left to find and destroy. however they must break into gringotts - something believed to be impossible. Here we insert a chase scene with the trio escaping on dragon back.

The remainder of the movie is the trio at hogwarts. here the trio is running around, trying to find a ravenclaw horcrux because this is where harry's visions take him. and then the battle begins. this was emotional for me because what most people forget is that hogwarts is a school... this is a war in a school... full of children. this is tragic and horrible... it just made me sad despite the fact that i knew this had to happen. and the battle is horrifying, and real (as can be when dueling with magic), and terrifying. for you, for the characters...

needless to say there's a happy ending. but you'll need to watch it to see how it goes.

favorite parts:- Mrs. Weasley's slaying of Bellatrix "not my daughter, you bitch!" -- i've been wondering how they were going to do this cuz Mrs. Weasley is such a character and they made it quite restrained... more refined. well done, WB.- ressurection stone's resurrection of harry's parents, god father and remus. i love this scene because it's so symbolic... they are there to lead him to die. it's... i've got no words.- neville on the bridge. this guy's got two! neville has this awesome moment where the voldy's death eaters are charging hogwarts and they run into the erected magical barrier which... dissolves them (i guess?). anyway after they stop at the barrier neville jeers at them... and then the barrier falls. run neville!!!! good laugh.- neville's second spotlight is his speech near the end. he talks about the moral of harry potter. how you continue to stand for the right thing regardless of how difficult it is. it's very fitting.- ron and hermione's kiss... FINALLY! like most, i was waiting for them to get together. it's a much better couple that harry and hermoine which is depicted in their awkward dance scene in a tent.

parts that were just kinda weird:- epilogue... oh, how we love awkwardness.- hermione's impersonation of bellatrix lestrange in gringotts. this is odd just because it's not well explained in the movie as to why they don't just use Bellatrix's wand to verify her identity despite the fact that it's actually hermione. it's just awkward and pulls you ok of the movie.- neville confesses at some point that he's got the hots for luna. this is not in the books at all, in fact j. k. rowling says she purposely didn't set them up this way so i was kinda disappointed

As promised for the folks still reading - a five out of five star review. How can I not give it a perfect rating? It gave me everything the previews and books promised and more... what the hell am i supposed to do now?

About Me

Why "Well-Balanced Flower"?

My middle name is Rose. I hated it when I was little. I felt that it didn't suit me - it was too pretty for a tomboy. That is until my grandma told me that is was only well-balanced. I can be pretty and tough.

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